diff --git a/blog/attitude-of-the-foss-community-a-matter-of-perspective.mdwn b/blog/attitude-of-the-foss-community-a-matter-of-perspective.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 00000000..73f6e3f0 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/attitude-of-the-foss-community-a-matter-of-perspective.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,126 @@ +[[!meta title="Attitude of the FOSS community - a matter of perspective"]] + +It is a sunny day in the mountains, +[Glarus](https://www.google.ch/maps/place/Glarus/@46.9998482,9.0581153,21037m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x4785318a3a76c851:0x823354d3ed5144b2?hl=en). +I am on the train, reading what is going on in the Internet, +reading my private, self aggregated "newspaper". +[Lennart is complaining](https://plus.google.com/app/basic/stream/z13rdjryqyn1xlt3522sxpugoz3gujbhh04) +about how bad the FOSS community is [to him], which made me feel sad +for him. This blog post is devoted for him and everyone who +is feeling being traited unjust in the FOSS community. + +## A short word about me + +You may have not heard much about me, as I used to keep out of public +discussions so far, especially when they are not +[fruitful (2nd meaning)](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fruitful). + +I am the maintainer (co-author) of +[[gpm|software/gpm]], an [[init system|software/cinit]], +a [[backup utility|software/ccollect]], +a [[configuration management system|software/cdist]] and +some [[more software|software]]. I am the CEO of +[[!ungleich]] and have been active in the FOSS community since 1998. + +People who use my software have shining eyes, usually +contribute the software in form of ideas, code or even +better: in form of praise, which motivates any FOSS coder. + +In short: I love the FOSS community, because they do good to me. + +## The FOSS community + +The FOSS community in my opinion is very friendly, open minded +and helpful. Very geeky, sometimes a more active, sometimes less. + +There are many great tools being developed, beer being drunken +and also heated discussions led, when it comes to +**personal opinions**. + +I receive pull requests for the software I have written on a daily basis, +discuss how to integrate them, into which direction we should develop. +(Virtual) friends pass interesting links to me, we compare software and +find out which architecture is superior in which regards to another. + +Questions from newbies are mostly answered by the community around +me and our newbies turn into gurus and begin to answer questions to +newbies (read [[!howtobecomeahacker]] and [[!howtoasksmartquestions]] +to understand how it works). + +The alert reader may have noticed I am not talking about +the Linux community as Lennart does. Why not? + +Because there is **much more than just Linux** in the FOSS community. + +## Linux is a small part of the existing FOSS + +Linux is **one** successful FOSS project, but everyone being in the +FOSS community knows that there is much more than just Linux. +The BSDs are developing pretty cool architectures and great +software (like [[!openssh]]) and in my opinion there is a +great potential to work more closely together. I am not going to name +all great software here, however if you are coming from a Linux only world, +it may be helpful to know there are other worlds that form the FOSS community. + +Everytime I develop software, I have take care of how to make it portable +to other Unices. I think it is rather closed minded to focus on Linux +only software, especially when a great (I mean it) standard +([[!posix]]) exists that allows us to easily write portable software. + +## What goes around, comes around + +You probably have heard of the idiom **What goes around, comes around**, +it is rather old (wikipedians: cite needed) and it means "the way +you behave towards other people will be reflected by them and it is how +they behave towards you". + +So if you are yelling at someone, trying to force someone to do something +or rant about other's software, you are likely to experience this as well. + +## A question of life and attitude + +Dear reader, did you ever have a (car) accident? Or have you watched one? +Maybe you will have noticed that the two involved parties usually have a +completly different picture of what just happened. + +This is true for every situation in life, how you see a situation depends +on your point of view, on your situation. So a lot of how your world *is* +depends on your view. + +It is also important to note that +**there are two sides to every question** and it is about you how you interpret +it. + +## A pinch of spirituality and scout behaviour + +I will not go into beliefs here, but if you have met spiritual people in +your life you may have noticed a lot of them being positively. You may +have asked yourself if it is it because of drugs or the way the live? + +If you have been a scout, you may remember the maxim +**do a good deed every day** - imagine everyone does this, there is a high +chance somebody will do something good to you, every day. + +## Summary and suggestions + +So why do people love software I have written and don't collect money +for hitman to go after me? Maybe I am brilliant and they felt so deep in love +with the design that they don't think about it - maybe it is because I do not +(try to) force anyone to use it. + +I am happy to learn from critics and the way I am, I attract positively thinking people. + +So anyone who is unhappy with how you are treated (by the FOSS community), +here are some suggestions for you: + + * Be friendly - and the echo will be the same + * Have an opinion, but don't force it to someone else + * Think twice about what you write, especially if it can be interpreted offensive + * Don't be ignorant, treat people with respect + +## Comments + +As usual, please leave your comments on hackernews. + + +[[!tag net foss unix]] diff --git a/shortcuts.mdwn b/shortcuts.mdwn index c96e4d14..334c1506 100644 --- a/shortcuts.mdwn +++ b/shortcuts.mdwn @@ -26,3 +26,7 @@ * [[!shortcut name=dry desc="DRY principle" url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_repeat_yourself"]] * [[!shortcut name=xaccel desc="X-Accel" url="http://wiki.nginx.org/X-accel"]] * [[!shortcut name=rails desc="Ruby on Rails" url="http://rubyonrails.org/"]] +* [[!shortcut name=howtobecomeahacker decs="How To Become A Hacker (esr)" url="http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html"]] +* [[!shortcut name=howtoasksmartquestions decs="How To Ask Questions The Smart Way (esr)" url="http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html"]] +* [[!shortcut name=openssh decs="OpenSSH" url="http://www.openssh.com/"]] +* [[!shortcut name=posix decs="The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 7" url="http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/"]]